Method and device for securing devices against unauthorized access, particularly for identifying in a casino

ABSTRACT

A method for securing facilities against access of unauthorized persons, in particular for verifying the access authorization of gamblers to gambling machines in a casino, wherein biometric data of the persons are analyzed, characterized in that every person possesses a document in which biometric data of its owner are applied on a carrier material, the carrier material containing at least one identifiable body whose data are touchlessly acquired by an acquisition unit within a certain operating range and transferred to at least one facility, wherein the facility automatically loads the biometric data of all persons located within the operating range from a central memory storage into a device internal memory storage, and that an identification of the person as well as of the authorization to possess the document is performed at the facility.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for securingfacilities against access of unauthorized persons, in particular forverifying the access authorization of gamblers to gambling machines in acasino, wherein biometric data of the persons are analyzed.

In manifold applications, security systems are used to refuse access tocertain areas or facilities to unauthorized persons. Such areas are, forexample, gambling machines in casinos, cash machines, laboratorypremises to be kept secret and the like. Thereby, it is also known touse facilities for acquiring biometric data.

Here, an important measure is to prevent the misuse of data mediaprovided with cash value.

For this, according to DE 198 42 355, a method for encashing an amountfor the authorized use of an area and/or a service is known, where theunauthorized use of a data medium is prevented by storing data in a dataterminal at the beginning of use and calculating the amount payable forthe period of use after the termination of use, wherein a valuetransponder containing an individual identification number and a certaindebitable amount is linked to a read/write station of the data terminaland a deposit amount on the value transponder is blocked at thebeginning of use and the amount calculated for the period of use isdebited and the blocking of the deposit amount is canceled aftertermination of use. This way it can be achieved that no reverse postingsonto the transponder, but only a release of blockings at simultaneousfee debits are carried out at the voucher machine. Thus, manipulationsin order to unjustifiedly withdraw money are impossible.

Here, it is disadvantageous that the user has to connect to the dataterminal several times and that he is not protected against loss of thevalue transponder nor its unauthorized use.

In WO 02/47042, a system to operate gambling machines in a casino isdescribed, where biometric data of users are stored in a computer andthe access authorization of the gamblers is verified using these data.

In this case, it is disadvantageous that this system is not suitable fora larger number of users, because the very large amounts of data to beverified require a too large expenditure of time.

The invention is underlied by the problem to specify a method and anapparatus of the kind initially mentioned, by which a high security isassured for the unauthorized use of facilities. The invention shallenable a cost-effective and fast verification and avoid to a largeextent verification processes that burden the user.

According to the invention, the problem is solved by a method comprisingthe attributes given in claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments are given in the dependent claims.

The method according to the invention enables to carry out apreselection of data from a large database very fast and cost-effective.For example, the data of 50 000 gamblers can be stored in a centraldatabase and from there, a gambling machine gathers the datasets of thegamblers located in its vicinity which will be a very much smallerquantity, so even in the case of a number of 500 gamblers these data canbe analyzed within less than one second without problems.

In the following, the invention is further explained considering anembodiment as an example. The example describes the process in a casinowith a plurality of gamblers and gambling machines.

In the appropriate drawings, it is shown by:

FIG. 1 the process of registering a gambler,

FIG. 2 the finger identification and the assignment of the gamblers tothe gambling machines located within reach,

FIG. 3 the start of a game by touchless finger identification and

FIG. 4 a schematic representation of an arrangement for touchlesslyacquiring a finger by means of two detectors.

In FIG. 1, two persons P are depicted who possess as a document D,respectively, a gambler identity card on which a photograph and afingerprint of the persons P are mounted and which is provided with aradio chip. If the person P approaches the facility E, i. e. in the caseunder consideration the gambling machine, the biometric data of thegambler are loaded by the gambling machine as soon as the range of itsradio chip being mounted on the document D detects the gambling machine.If the person P departs from the radio range these data are deletedautomatically. The gambling machine thus has the relevant data of allpersons P being located within the radio range at its disposal.

In FIG. 2, there is illustrated the finger identification and theassignment of the biometric data of all gamblers located within reach tothe gambling machines arranged there.

The start of a game shown in FIG. 3 is performed by means of the key Swhich becomes operative by touchless identification of a finger of aperson P.

FIG. 4 explains the basic way of operation of a facility for fraud-proofverification by simultaneously acquiring two partial images of thefinger 1 from different directions. The position of the finger isdefined by the coordinates x, y, z in a Cartesian coordinate system. Asshown in this illustration, this finger is simultaneously acquired froma different angle of view in addition to the detector 2.1 which islocated in the x-y plane and acquires the image of the finger 1 inz-direction, wherein this image results from laying onto a sensor or,preferably, from imaging. Preferably, the directions of imaging, fromwhich the object is observed, form an angle of 90 degrees and lie in oneplane. This means, that the angles φ and δ between the direction oftaking and a coordinate direction running through the finger's axis asy-axis, which are depicted in FIG. 1, have a value of 90°. A secondimage is taken in x-direction by the detector 2.2 which is located inthe y-z plane.

The function values are compared to data of reference functions whichexhibit an identical data structure and are stored in a data base.

The reference functions, then, look like

-   -   R_(xy)(x, y, m_(xy)) for the reference image in the x-y plane,        with which the image F_(xy) taken in the x-y plane by the        detector 2.1 has to be concordant        and    -   R_(yz)(z, y, m_(yz)) for the reference image in the y-z plane,        with which the image taken in the y-z plane by the detector 2.2        has to be concordant.

The object is recognized to be right if a satisfying amount of data, e.g. 90%, are concordant for F_(xy) and R_(xy) as well as for F_(yz) andR_(yz), respectively. The images of the dermal ridges can be describedby recognition functions of the form F(x, y, z, m).

For the arrangement depicted in FIG. 1, the functionF_(xy)(x, y, m_(xy))

describes the image taken by the detector 2.1 in the x-y plane and thefunctionF_(yz)(z, y, m_(yz))

describes the image taken by the detector 2.2 in the y-z plane,

wherein m_(xy) and m_(yz) describe characteristic recognition attributesof dermal points in the respective planes.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

P Person

D Document

S Key

E Facility

1 Finger

2 Light detector

3 Light source

-   -   3.1 . . . 3.4 Light sources positioned adjacently to a light        detector

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A method for verifying access authorization ofpersons to a facility, wherein each person possesses a document having acarrier material applied thereto, the carrier material includingbiometric data of an owner of the respective document and at least oneidentifiable body containing readable data, the method comprising:touchlessly acquiring the readable data from each identifiable bodywithin a defined operating range using an acquisition unit; transferringthe acquired readable data from the acquisition unit to the facility;automatically loading the biometric data corresponding to each personfor whom the readable data is transferred from a central memory storageto into a device internal memory storage; performing an identificationof each person and determining the authorization of each person topossess the respective document at the facility.
 12. The method asrecited in claim 11, wherein the loading is performed by the facility.13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the facility is agambling machine in a casino and wherein the persons are gamblers. 14.The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising generating adataset of the identifiable body and transferred the dataset to thecentral memory storage.
 15. The method as recited in claim 11, whereinthe facility is a gambling machine in a casino and wherein the gamblingmachine and several further gambling machines are located within reachand linked to the central memory storage.
 16. The method as recited inclaim 11, wherein the identifiable body includes a radio chip mounted onthe carrier material.
 17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein thedocument is disposed in one of a portable radio and a telephone set. 18.The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the portable radio ortelephone set is connectable to a socket mounted at the gamblingmachine.
 19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein theidentification of the person is performed by analyzing a fingerprint ofthe person at the facility.
 20. The method as recited in claim 11,wherein the document is an identity card, and wherein the biometric dataincludes at least one of a photograph, a fingerprint of the owner, andan access right.
 21. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein thedocument includes a rechargeable value transponder.
 22. A method asrecited in claim 11, wherein the performing of the identificationincludes: illuminating an object using a light source; acquiring atleast two images of the object using optical scanning from at least twodifferent directions simultaneously; determining numerical parametersusing digital image processing; calculating a three-dimensional model ofthe object from the at least two images; comparing the three-dimensionalmodel with a reference model; and determining the identification to beright if the numerical parameters are simultaneously concordant with thereference model within predetermined tolerances.
 23. A method as recitedin claim 22, further comprising previously creating the n the referencemodel using a plurality of images of the object.